An old man lives with his little grandson.Every day the old man gets up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked,“Grandpa,I want to read books as you do.But I always forget what I read.What are the advantages of reading?”
The grandfather didn’t answer him,but said,“Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said,but all the water leaked out before he got back home.The grandfather laughed and said,“You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster,but the basket was still empty before he returned home.The boy said,“See,Grandpa,it’s no use!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said.“Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different.It was cleaner,inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books.You might not understand or remember everything,but when you read them,you will be changed,inside and out.”
1. What does the old man do every day?| A．He carries water. |
| B．He reads books. |
| C．He writes something. |
| D．He does some chores. |
| A．was too busy to do it |
| B．got up late |
| C．always forgot what he read |
| D．slept late |
| A．Once. | B．Twice. |
| C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
| A．We won’t have any changes. |
| B．We can understand everything. |
| C．We will be changed,inside and out. |
| D．We can never forget what we read. |
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【推荐1】I talked to one of my friends this morning. To make things easier, let’s call him Peter. Peter is an acting(代理的)manager in our company. He’s going to retire next year. I actually asked him whether he would apply for extension and maybe then he would become the manager. He simply answered “No, I don’t put off my retirement. I don’t need the “Manager” title to become successful either. In fact, I am already successful by my own definition(定义).”
His simple reply left me speechless. I then continued to ask him what he meant by that. He spent the next 30 minutes telling me how he had managed to send his son and daughter to learn medicine. He told me how hard it was for him to find almost $100,000 to make sure his children got the best education. Now they are very successful and Peter is very proud of what his children have achieved. This is where he thinks he succeeds in his life.
The story is truly encouraging. It tells me that the definition of success is different from one person to another. Some may consider becoming a manager is success. Another will consider bringing up successful children as their success.
Personally, I think Peter’s success is when he found out his personal definition of success. He knows that money and ranks are not success to him. That is why he didn’t ask for extension and fight for that “Manager” title.
What’s your definition of success? Peter did give me one tip to help me answer that question. If you answer “becoming a millionaire” as your definition of success, and you have made it as a millionaire, can you still smile and say “my life is complete”, knowing that today is your last day of your life?
1. The underlined word “extension” in the first paragraph means _______.| A．staying longer at work | B．giving up one’s job |
| C．adding more money | D．changing one’s job |
| A．Angry. | B．Calm. | C．Sad | D．Surprised. |
| A．teachers | B．doctors | C．managers | D．engineers |
【推荐2】One day a poor man was begging with an old wallet in his hand. As he felt sad at his own bad luck, he kept wondering why some wealthy people were never satisfied and were always wanting more.
“Here,” said he, “is the master of this house—I know him well. He is a wealthy businessman. He should have turned over his business to others, and then he could have spent the rest of his life happily, but he didn’t. Instead, he sent his ships to sea to trade with foreign lands. However, there were great storms on the water, so his ships were destroyed and his treasure disappeared in the sea. As for me, if I had only enough to eat and to buy clothing, I would not want anything more.”
Just at that moment, Fortune came down the street. She saw the poor man and stopped. She said to him, “Listen! I want to help you. Hold your wallet, and I will pour this gold into it, but only on this condition: all that falls into the wallet shall be pure gold, but every piece that falls upon the ground shall become dust. Do you understand?”
“Oh, yes,” said the poor man.
“Then be careful,” said Fortune. “Your wallet is old, so do not load it too heavily.”
The beggar was so glad that he quickly opened his wallet, and a stream of yellow dollars poured into it. The wallet grew heavy.
“Is that enough?” asked Fortune.
“Not yet.”
“Isn’t the wallet cracking （裂开）?”
“Never fear.”
The beggar’s hands began to tremble. Ah, if the gold would only pour forever!
“You are the richest man in the world now!”
“Just a little more, add just a handful or two.”
Another piece was added, and the wallet cracked. The treasure fell upon the ground and turned to dust. The beggar had nothing now but his empty wallet. He was as poor as before.
1. What happened to the wealthy businessman?| A．He was robbed of his money. | B．His ships sank at sea. |
| C．His treasure turned to dust. | D．He gave his money to the poor. |
| A．She wanted to make the poor man the richest in the world. |
| B．She had too much gold already. |
| C．She wanted to teach the poor man a lesson. |
| D．She liked the way the poor man spoke. |
| A．weak | B．happy |
| C．wise | D．greedy |
| A．The poor man and Fortune |
| B．The poor man and the businessman |
| C．The poor man and his wallet |
| D．The poor man and the gold |
【推荐3】Beliefs form a big part of our lives. Successful people have always believed that they can be and will be successful in their lives, such as Michael Phelps. Many of us have seen Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. That has created a history for himself. Many people have admired his success and the first reaction in their mind will be, “Wow, how I wish I could be like him!” Have you ever wondered what brought him success?
In fact, anyone can achieve what they have wanted to achieve. It is about beliefs. Everyone is a born winner. It is this belief that drives an individual to be successful in his or her own field. All successful individuals have strong beliefs and it is one of the bases for their success. If we start to believe in ourselves, the things that we can achieve will definitely give us a pleasant surprise.
Other than having a strong belief, it is the attitude that drives the individual to create their own history. The devotion towards themselves and the drive must also be present. Imagine having a strong belief in oneself and having a poor attitude towards life. Then how would that individual turn out to be? One’s attitude comprises the drive, the devotion and the desire to achieve his goals. If one has strong beliefs about the goals that he can achieve and he displays good attitudes towards them, it would be no surprise to anyone that he will be able to achieve his goals.
Start believing in yourself and you will achieve your goals and with the right positive attitude, you will definitely be able to create the miracle that you have always dreamt of.
1. Which of the following is the best summary of Paragraph 2?| A．Where there is a will, there is a way. | B．Good begun is half done. |
| C．No pains, no gains. | D．God helps those who help themselves. |
| A．serve as | B．belongs to | C．consists of | D．stands for |
| A．attitudes can be learned from one’s parents |
| B．only strong beliefs can’t ensure you a promising future |
| C．copying other’s behaviors is a good way to succeed |
| D．attitudes can only be learned through one’s success |
| A．Differences Between Beliefs and Attitudes |
| B．The Nature of Beliefs and Positive Attitudes |
| C．Relationship Between Beliefs and Attitudes |
| D．The Power of Beliefs and Positive Attitudes |
【推荐1】Would you like to spend a year pretending to live on Mars in a 1,700-square-foot space shared with three other people? If that's your idea of a dream job, you can thank your lucky stars, because NASA is hiring.
The agency is seeking applicants for what it calls a “one-year mission in a habitat to simulate (模拟）life on a distant world. "NASA plans to observe humans in a Mars-like situation on Earth so it can study the challenges that might occur during a future mission to the red planet.
Grace Douglas, the lead scientist for NASA's Advanced Food Technology research effort at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, says the simulated mission will benefit future missions that actually go to space. “Simulations on Earth will help us understand and counter the physical and mental challenges astronauts will face before they go.” Douglas says.
NASA is looking for four crew members who will live and work for a year in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot module called Mars Dune Alpha, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center. According to NASA, the crew might perform tasks such as simulated spacewalks, using virtual reality and robotic controls, exchanging communications and conducting other studies.
The posting calls for healthy and motivated U.S. citizens between the ages of 30 and 55 years old, plus a STEM master's degree or sufficient experience piloting an aircraft.
It won't necessarily be an easy task, though. NASA warns that the crew will experience simulated problems like those humans might face on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and other environmental stressors.
In exchange, selected crew members will help bring humans one step closer to reaching Mars.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Three more astronauts are needed. |
| B．The one-year mission is far from easy. |
| C．Whoever is crazy about space will get an offer. |
| D．A STEM master's degree is a must for application. |
| A．To test how their aircraft works. |
| B．To work as astronauts on Mars. |
| C．To observe human reactions on Mars. |
| D．To experiment with possible challenges on Mars. |
| A．Life of the Four Applicants on Mars |
| B．Applicants Wanted for the Future on Mars |
| C．The Obstacles Candidates Will Face on Mars |
| D．The Great Significance of Space Technology |
【推荐2】A Trip Along the Three Gorges
In August 1996, Peter Hessler, a young American teacher of English, arrived in the town of Fuling on the Yangtze River. He and a colleague were to spend two years there teaching English at a teacher training college. They were the only foreigners in the town. The first semester finished at the end of January and they had four weeks off for the Spring Festival. They could go anywhere they wished. They decided to take a boat downstream.
We decided to buy tickets for the Jiangyou boat. Our colleagues said, "You shouldn't go on those ships. They are very crowded. They are mainly for goods and people trading along the river. They don't stop at the temples and there won't be any other foreigners." That sounded fine to me. We just had to show our passports and they let us get on the boat.
We left the docks on a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly as we sailed downstream through a hilly region. Men rode bamboo rafts along the river's edge and coal boats went past. As the sun set we docked at Fengdu. We could see the sun setting behind the white pagoda. It was beautiful.
We slept through the first gorge, which is called the Qutang Gorge. The gorge narrows to 350 feet as the river rushes through the two-mile-high mountains. "Oh, well," my friend said, "at least we have two more left."
At Wushan we made a detour up the Daning River to see some of the smaller gorges. The next day we went through the big gorges on the Yangtze River. It was a lovely morning as we went through the Wu Gorge. We passed the Xiang River, home of Qu Yuan, the 3rd century BC poet. There was so much history along the Yangtze River. Every rock looked like a person or animal, every stream that joined the great river carried its legends, every hill was heavy with the past.
As we came out of the third gorge, the Xiling Gorge, we sailed into the construction site of the dam. All the passengers came on deck. We took pictures and pointed at the site, but we weren't allowed to get off the boat. The Chinese flag was blowing in the wind. On a distant mountain was a sign in 20-foot characters. "Build the Three Gorges Dam, Exploit the Yangtze River," it said.
1. Peter and his colleague came to China to .| A．have a trip along the Three Gorges | B．study the history of China |
| C．teach English at a teacher training college | D．do business with Chinese people |
| A．saw the sun setting behind the white pagoda | B．left the docks on a beautiful afternoon |
| C．made a detour up the Daning River | D．slept through the gorge and saw nothing |
| A．the Xiang River | B．the Daning River |
| C．the Qutang Gorge | D．the construction site of the dam |
| A．the hilly region |
| B．coal boats |
| C．riding bamboo rafts |
| D．the sun setting behind the white pagoda |
| A．They rode bamboo rafts along the river’s edge. |
| B．They got off the boat to take pictures. |
| C．They sailed into the construction site of the dam. |
| D．They made a detour up the Daning River. |
【推荐3】An old man lives with his little grandson. Every day the old man gets up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”
The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?| A．After the grandson reads books, he can’t understand what he reads. |
| B．After the grandson reads books, he gets up late. |
| C．After the grandson reads books, he always forgets what he reads. |
| D．After the grandson reads books, he sleeps late. |
| A．Once. | B．Twice. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
| A．We won’t have any changes. |
| B．We can understand everything. |
| C．We will be changed, inside and out. |
| D．We can never forget what we read. |
But Hans, the butterman, sat without a smile. He sold pounds of butter from a table beside him. Many people said that his butter wasn’t the right weight. They said that his rolls of butter didn’t weigh as much as a pound.
Once the weighmaster came walking down the road. He was looking for people who did not sell the full weight. Someone told him, “Watch Hans, the butterman.”
Hans had good eyes. He saw the weighmaster and quickly put the piece of gold into the first roll of butter, between the butter and its cover.
A captain was standing beside Hans’s table, and he had seen Hans put the piece of gold into the roll. He stood at Hans’s side when the weighmaster came up to him.
“Good morning,” said the weighmaster.
“Good morning,” said Hans. “I think that you are looking for farmers who trick the people of our town.”
“I’m,” said the weighmaster. “Someone told me that your rolls of butter don’t weigh a full pound.”
“Oh yes, they do. Here, Weighmaster. Here is a roll of butter. Weigh it yourself,” said Hans.
Hans took the first roll of butter and gave it to the weighmaster.
The weighmaster took his scales and put the butter onto it. The roll weighed more than a pound.
“I’ve made a mistake,” said the weighmaster. “You are an honest man. There is enough butter in this roll.”
Then the captain stood in front of Hans’s table. “You are an honest man, so I want to buy some of your butter,” he said. Before Hans could speak, the captain picked up the roll of butter with the piece of gold in it. “I’ll take this one.”
Hans’s heart began beating more quickly. “No, not that one. I’ve sold that one to a friend of mine. Take another one.”
“No, I want this one,” said the captain.
“I won’t sell it to you. I told you that I’ve sold it to a friend,” said Hans.
“Don’t make me angry. The weighmaster weighed this roll. Give your friend another one.”
“But I want to give him this one,” said Hans, who was now very uncomfortable.
“I ask you, good Weighmaster,” said the captain angrily, “don’t I have the right to choose the piece of butter that I want? I will pay good money for it.”
“Of course you have the right, Captain,” said the weighmaster. “What are you afraid of, Hans? Aren’t all the rolls of butter alike? Perhaps I have to weigh all of them.”
What could Hans say? What could he do? He had to smile and sell the butter to the captain. The captain gave Hans three cents for the butter.
The captain and the weighmaster walked away together.
“You punished the thief,” said the weighmaster.
“No, he punished himself,” said the captain, smile.
1. When Hans saw the weighmaster, he ________ .
| A．stood up at once | B．said hello to the weighmaster |
| C．put a piece of gold into a roll of butter quickly | D．gave the weighmaster a piece |
| A．thought Hans was an honest man |
| B．wanted to weigh all the other rolls of butter |
| C．wanted to buy a roll of butter from Hans |
| D．thought Hans was foolish |
| A．because he knew Hans was an honest man |
| B．because he wanted to punish Hans |
| C．to get the piece of gold in the butter |
| D．because the butter weighed more than a pound |
| A．he had sold it to someone else |
| B．he didn’t like the captain |
| C．he didn’t want to lose the piece of gold in it |
| D．it weighed more than a pound |
【推荐2】I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Seeing what Mother was doing, I thought that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
My mother was a kind person, who always showed her love on me in action. However, as a little girl, I only wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. But such talks never happened. I was sad about it and often rude to her, eager to start a new life somewhere else.
When I had my own family, I came to understand mother’s love. So I wrote to mother and asked if she’d forgiven my rudeness. Then, I posted the letter and waited for her answer, but it never came. I felt disappointed and slowly didn’t care too much about it.
Years later, during mother’s final illness, she left some things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said in a weak voice, “is specially for Elizabeth.” When I cleaned the desk-her present for me, I found a one — page letter inside, folded many times. It was the letter that I wrote years ago.
Then, tears came down, “Oh, dear mom, you’ve chosen the silent act to show you did forgive me and always be proud of my writing. Thank you for your silent love. I love you forever!”
1. According to the author, the most wonderful thing in the world must be the act of__________.| A．reading | B．cooking |
| C．writing | D．dancing |
| A．Arm-in-arm walks with her mother. | B．Face-to-face talks with her mother. |
| C．Hand-in-hand walks with her mother. | D．Heart-to-heart talks with her mother. |
| A．Elizabeth. | B．Elizabeth’s son. |
| C．Elizabeth’s sister. | D．Elizabeth’s brother. |
| A．In words. | B．In action. |
| C．By music. | D．By painting. |
【推荐3】The day before yesterday, when Peter’s family were having dinner, Father raised an interesting question, “Was there anything in our past that we feel ashamed of, guilty about, or regretted? Maybe we can find ways to say sorry, or take some action to right any wrongdoing.” This seemed like a very private matter, but Peter thought about it carefully the whole night.
Peter remembered an incident from middle school. In his school, there was a worker, Neil Stone, who none of the kids liked. One night, Peter and two of his classmates decided to play a trick on him. They found a can of red paint, and wrote on the school main road in bright red: Neil Stone is a fool! The next day, the whole school saw these words. Within two hours, Neil had Peter and his two classmates in his office. His classmates said that they had done it but Peter lied and denied the truth.
This morning, Peter went back to his middle school. Neil Stone is still working there. “Sorry, Neil. Do you still remember what happened ten years ago? I want you to know that I did it.” “I knew it!’ Neil laughed. They had a good laugh and a lively discussion. Neil’s closing words were: “Peter, I always felt bad for you because your classmates got it off their mind, and I knew you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for visiting me… for your sake.”
Peter knows that no matter how difficult the situation is, it is never too late to clear up the past and make a fresh start.
1. What did Peter remember doing in middle school?| A．Something helpful. | B．Something unpleasant. |
| C．Something valuable. | D．Something useful. |
| A．Dark blue. | B．Light green. |
| C．Pure white. | D．Bright red. |
| A．Ten years ago. | B．The day before yesterday. |
| C．This morning. | D．Not until Peter told him. |
| A．Peter’s family. | B．An unforgettable lesson. |
| C．It’s never too late to say sorry. | D．An interesting thing in middle school. |
